The Star Point, South Devon, with the Remains of the Spirit of the Ocean. 1866. Source: Illustrated London News. Click on image to enlarge it.
Article accompanying the illustration above
Is our last Number we gave an account of the wreck of the barque Spirit of the Ocean on the coast of South Devon, on the evening of Friday, the 23rd ult. A correspondent at Kingsbridge has sent us a sketch of the appearance of the rocks, with the remains of that unfortunate vessel scattered upon them. The Start Point, situated between Dartmouth and Kingsbridge, is one of the most picturesque headlands on the south coast of England. Though exceeded in grandeur by the neighbouring promontories known as the Prawle Point, the Bolt Head, and the Bolt Tail, it nevertheless forms a picture not easily to be forgotten by those who have once seen its graceful outline, its rugged rocks, its romantic caves and precipices, and its harmonious blending of colour. From its prominent position in the Channel, it is well known to all seafaring men, but it has now obtained a melancholy interest as the scene of the late disastrous wreck of the Spirit of the Ocean. That vessel, as already stated, was bound from London to Halifax, with passengers and a general cargo valued at £60,000. The crew numbered eighteen and the passengers twenty-four—making forty-two in all, of whom only four were saved; and it is more than frobable that, had it not been for the heroic exertions of Mr. Popplestone, a neighbouring farmer, not one would have survived. The captain's name was Roulle Carey. Several of the bodies have been picked np and a small portion of the cargo saved. The lighthouse shown in our Illustration has one revolving light and one fixed light; there is also a large bell, which is rung during fogs.
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Bibliography
“Wreck of the Spirit of the Ocean at Start Point.” Illustrated London News (7 April 1866): 341-42. Hathi Trust Digital Library version of a copy in the University of Michigan Library. Web. 12 January 2016.
Last modified 20 December 2015